By John-Paul Tooth

The former Blaugrana star says the French capital side can cause the Liga leaders problems, but ultimately expects the Catalans to progress

Former Barcelona midfielder Deco believes Paris Saint-Germain will make things difficult for his old club, but has tipped the four-time Champions League winners to qualify for this year's semi-finals.

Carlo Anceotti's side have reached the last eight of the Champions League at the first time of asking following a 3-2 aggregate win over Valencia, but have a stern test ahead of them if they are to proceed further.

"I've seen some [of their] games and I think PSG, despite being a team in formation, will make things difficult for Barca," he told ESPN Brasil. "[Ancelotti] has experience in the Champions League.

"[Barcelona] have long played together, while PSG are a team that are still under construction.

"Of course, one can not underestimate the French because they have quality players like [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic or Thiago [Silva], a very strong defence and a quality midfield."

The 75-cap former Portugal international also spoke about the criticism the Blaugrana received after losing the first leg of their last-16 clash with AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro.

"Any team who play like Barca create very high expectations and if they stumble a bit, [the reception] usually appears critical," he continued.

"Keep in mind that this team are very young. [Lionel] Messi, their big star, is only 25 years old and they have also been without a coach, something which affects [them] whether you want it to or not.

"So it's normal to have a dip, but this does not mean that the team are finished."